Harvick passes Truex for Texas win, both clinch title shots

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kevin Harvick went around the outside of Martin Truex for the lead on the 324th of 334 laps, then stayed in front the rest of the way to win the Cup Series race at Texas on Sunday and earn his championship shot in NASCAR’s finale. Truex had led 107 laps and was still up front until his bobble on the backstretch that allowed Harvick to take the lead. But Truex, the points leader who has won three of the eight playoff races, also locked into one of the four championship-contending spots at Homestead in two weeks.

Harvick and Kyle Busch clinched championship shots with their wins during the third round of the playoffs. That leaves only one spot up for grabs next week at Phoenix.

Harvick got his first Cup win at the 1 1/2-mile high-banked Texas Motor Speedway, where he had won five Xfinity Series races and once in a NASCAR Truck race.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Harvick said. “Great to check that one off.”

After doing a long burnout along the frontstretch in the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick went to Victory Lane, where the Texas celebration was missing the traditional firing of six-shooters by the winner.

TMS officials bypassed the use of the pistols after a man opened fire inside a church in a small community about 300 miles south of the track near San Antonio earlier Sunday.